The Islanders weren't ready when the puck dropped on Thursday, which proved costly.
ELMONT, NY -- The Seattle Kraken were off and running -- skater rather -- when the puck dropped at UBS Arena at 7:30 PM on Thursday night.
The New York Islanders were not, almost as if the start was supposed to be 8:30 PM ET.
Just 2:48 in, the Islanders were down 1-0 before Seattle, who dominated the period, scored an insurance marker at 16:58 of the first to make it a 2-0 game.
The Islanders remained a few strides behind Seattle, seeing a third and a fourth goal enter the back of the twin before the second-period horn sounded.
Then it was just a matter of Marcus Hogberg standing on his head in relief of Sorokin that made the game, a 5-2 final (ENG), look closer than it really was.
"We were just a little flat," Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri said after a night where he took a beating from a puck and a hard hit. "It wasn't a good start, and we got behind the eight ball. Any time you go down 4-0 at home, it's concerning. So I think for us, it's just that we have to find a way to regroup and get ready for the weekend."
Through the losses, blown leads, and failed overtime, Patrick Roy and his team could usually say they came out strong but just struggled to score.
That could not be said on Thursday, in a game where the Islanders needed a strong start back at home.
“[Our start] wasn't good enough,” Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock said. “It felt like we just weren't quite connected tonight. We were slow, reacting at times, and we dug ourselves a hole. I think if there's a positive take from it, we didn't quit and we kept fighting in the third, but now we got to regroup here and bring a lot better Saturday.”
Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau, as always, put the onus on himself.
"I think we could have won more battles, including myself," Pageau said.
"They spent too much time in our zone, it's like from closing quick. I mean, obviously, we'll go back and look at the game and what we could change."
Here's the perfect way to describe the game. You go out to the playground for recess. All the kids want to play tag, and one kid screams to you, "You're it," and everyone is off and running.
The Islanders were it and they remained the tagger for 60 or so minutes.
“They were fast. They were fast on us, and they were moving well, Roy said. “The first two goals were great tips by them. The third one, we were in our zone for a while and they were fast. They were moving fast on those loose pucks. They were quicker than we were on those loose pucks, and he scored on that. They made a great shot, and then the power-play goal came right after. I can't say we were disorganized or we were not at our best… I have to give them credit. They were fast.”
They certainly were not at their best, and their effort early to win loose puck battles and establish a forecheck played a vital role in the result.
Roy, Pulock, and Pageau all spoke about the Islanders' never-giving-up attitude—something they should, of course, be focusing on.
But, to come out playing uninspired hockey when you are fighting neck and neck to stay in the wild-card conversation was a pretty bad look for this close-knit team, a start that signals to upper management that change may not just be an option, but it might be the only option.